Nashville Season 5 Release Date, Spoilers and Cast Updates: Connie Britton to Exit Show; Less Rayna Jaymes in the Series?
It has been a beleaguered year for Nashville fans after ABC first cancelled the country music drama due to ratings, causing an uproar among its small, but passionate fanbase. Then, it seemed like the worst was over after Nashville finally secured its Season 5 return on the screens after moving from ABC to CMT.
Sadly, the bad news just kept on coming: Connie Britton, who plays half of the Rayna-Juliette showmance in the series, reportedly signed up for a little more than half of the 22-episode order for Season 5. Is it curtain call for everyone's favorite country singer?
Connie Britton's Exit
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Arguably, Rayna Jaymes is the show's central character. A nine-time Grammy award winner, Rayna was Queen of Country Music before Hayden Panettiere's Juliette Barnes came into the picture.
She's since evolved to become a devoted mother to Maddie and Daphne, a perfect foil to hubby Deacon Clayborne and a perfect friend/mentor to Juliette. From where the series left off, Rayna has become a successful touring musician and was spearheading a music label.
It would be especially difficult to see less of Connie Britton, given the cachet she's given to the show. According to reports, the producers are still trying to convince her to sign up for more episodes, though Britton has been setting up her exit from the show for quite a while now.
Following the cancellation of the series, she was visibly happy on the Late Night with Seth Myers, having finally came back home on the West Coast.
Should Britton bow out of the series, the showrunners can either axe her off (though killing Rayna Jaymes would not just be brutal, but completely off-key from the show's overall mood) or put her on a tour around the world. After all, she's a touring musician and a very famous one at that.
How the Show Deals with Leaving Characters
For fans wondering if the series can survive without Britton, don't fret. Yes, yes it can. Remember, the show is made of an ensemble cast and it's always been capable of pushing forward with the story without its central characters.
Hayden Panettiere has done the same when she went on an extended leave for post-partum depression and still, the show went on. And it will live on just the same, hard as it may be, with or without Britton.
Britton is not the first person to reportedly leave the show. It's been announced that Aubrey Peeples (Layla) and Will Chase (Luke Wheeler) have exited the series, so expect to see a very different Nashville Season 5.
Excited for the next season? Catch Nashville Season 5 on CMT and Hulu on January 5 and 6, respectively.
